Generating and displaying supplemental information and user interactions on interface tiles of a user interface

ABSTRACT

Technologies for displaying supplemental interface tiles on a user interface of a computing device include determining supplemental information and/or available user interactions associated with a user interface tile displayed on the user interface. A supplemental interface tile is displayed in association with the user interface tile in response to a user selecting the user interface tile. The supplemental information and/or an interaction widget corresponding to the available user interactions may be displayed on the supplemental interface tile based on the selection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tile.

BACKGROUND

Mobile computing devices are becoming ubiquitous tools for personal,business, and social uses. The portability of mobile computing devicesis increasing as the size of the devices decrease and processing powerincreases. In fact, many computing devices are sized to be hand-held bythe user to improve ease of use. Additionally, modern mobile computingdevices are equipped with increased processing power and data storagecapability to allow such devices to perform advanced processing.Further, many modern mobile computing devices are capable of connectingto various data networks, including the Internet, to retrieve andreceive data communications over such networks. As such, modern mobilecomputing devices are powerful, often personal, tools untethered to aparticular location.

As the processing power of mobile computing devices increases, manymobile computing devices are capable of contemporaneously runningmultiple applications and other background processes, such asnotification processes. A user, however, typically can only interactdirectly with a single application or notification at one time, whichmay utilize the entire viewing display of the mobile computing deviceduring such interaction. As such, other applications and/or backgroundprocesses may use simplistic icon notifications to alert the user thatadditional information relating to the application or notification ofthe associated icon is available. For example, a badge, number, or otherindicator may be overlaid on the associated application or notificationicon to indicate to the user that additional information regarding theapplication/notification is available (e.g., the number of unread emailsmay be overlaid on the e-mail application icon, the number of softwareupdates may be overlaid on an application icon, etc.). Such indicatorsonly provide a notification of additional information but do not provideany portion of the additional information itself. Rather, to access theadditional information, the user is often required to exit theapplication the user is currently using and select theapplication/notification icon having overlaid the indicator(s) to fullyopen the associated application/notification. Additionally, suchsimplistic indicators provide no additional interaction options with theunderlying application/notification thereby further requiring the userto open fully the underlying application/notification to perform anyinteraction therewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The concepts described herein are illustrated by way of example and notby way of limitation in the accompanying figures. For simplicity andclarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale. Where considered appropriate, referencelabels have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding oranalogous elements.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of at least one embodiment of amobile computing device for displaying supplemental interface tiles on auser interface;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of at least one embodiment of anenvironment of the mobile computing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a simplified flow diagram of at least one embodiment of methodfor displaying supplemental interface tiles on a user interface of themobile computing device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a simplified illustration of at least one embodiment ofnotification user interface having multiple user interface notificationtiles displayed on the mobile computing device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a simplified illustration of at least one embodiment of asupplemental interface tile displayed on the mobile computing device ofFIGS. 1 and 2 in association with a user interface notification tile ofthe notification user interface of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a simplified illustration of at least one embodiment ofanother supplemental interface tile displayed on the mobile computingdevice of FIGS. 1 and 2 in association with a user interfacenotification tile of the notification user interface of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a simplified illustration of at least one embodiment of anapplication user interface having multiple application user interfacetiles displayed on the mobile computing device of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 8 is a simplified illustration of at least one embodiment ofsupplemental interface tiles displayed on the mobile computing device ofFIGS. 1 and 2 in association with an application user interface tile ofthe application user interface of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof havebeen shown by way of example in the drawings and will be describedherein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is nointent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particularforms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the presentdisclosure and the appended claims.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an illustrative embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodimentdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily includethat particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, suchphrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further,when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within theknowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure,or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or notexplicitly described.

The disclosed embodiments may be implemented, in some cases, inhardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The disclosedembodiments may also be implemented as instructions carried by or storedon a transitory or non-transitory machine-readable (e.g.,computer-readable) storage medium, which may be read and executed by oneor more processors. A machine-readable storage medium may be embodied asany storage device, mechanism, or other physical structure for storingor transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., avolatile or non-volatile memory, a media disc, or other media device).

In the drawings, some structural or method features may be shown inspecific arrangements and/or orderings. However, it should beappreciated that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not berequired. Rather, in some embodiments, such features may be arranged ina different manner and/or order than shown in the illustrative figures.Additionally, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in aparticular figure is not meant to imply that such feature is required inall embodiments and, in some embodiments, may not be included or may becombined with other features.

Referring now to FIG. 1, in the illustrative embodiment, a mobilecomputing device 100 is configured to display a supplemental interfacetile(s) associated with a user interface tile displayed on a userinterface of the mobile computing device 100 in response to selection ofthe user interface tile by a user. The supplemental interface tile maypresent supplemental information and/or available user interactionsassociated with the selected interface tile (i.e., with the applicationor notification associated with the user interface tile). As discussedin more detail below, the particular supplemental information and/oravailable user interactions displayed on the supplemental interface tilemay depend on one or more criteria such as the particular user interfacetile selected by the user, the selection gesture used by the user toselect the user interface tile, and/or other factors. Additionally, thetype, size, shape, position, and other visual characteristics of thesupplemental interface tile displayed on the user interface may bedependent on such criteria. For example, the location and/or size of thesupplemental interface tile may be determined based on the particularselection gesture used by the user to select the associated interfacetile. In this way, different supplemental information and/or userinteractions may be displayed to the user in response to the userselecting the user interface tile using different, associated selectiongestures.

It should be appreciated that user interface tile(s) displayed on theuser interface of the mobile computing device 100 may be embodied as anytype of application or notification icon, widget, or other userinterface element that is selectable by a user to interact with anassociated application, notification, or other software process. Forexample, the user interface tile may be embodied as an e-mailapplication icon, a social networking site application icon, a browserapplication icon, an operating system notification, a user communicationnotification, and/or other application and/or notification icons,widgets, or user interface elements. Additionally, the user interfacetiles and associated supplemental interface tiles may have any type ofgeometric shape including, but not limited to, a rectangular shape,square shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, an irregular shape,or other geometric shape.

The mobile computing device 100 may be embodied as any type of mobilecomputing device capable of performing the functions described herein.For example, in some embodiments, the mobile computing device 100 may beembodied as a “smart” phone, a tablet computer, a mobile media device,and a game console, a mobile internet device (MID), a personal digitalassistant, a laptop computer, a mobile appliance device, or other mobilecomputing device. As shown in FIG. 1, the illustrative mobile computingdevice 100 includes a processor 102, a memory 106, an input/outputsubsystem 108, and a display 110. Of course, the mobile computing device100 may include other or additional components, such as those commonlyfound in a mobile computing device and/or communication device (e.g.,various input/output devices), in other embodiments. Additionally, insome embodiments, one or more of the illustrative components may beincorporated in, or otherwise from a portion of, another component. Forexample, the memory 106, or portions thereof, may be incorporated in theprocessor 102 in some embodiments.

The processor 102 may be embodied as any type of processor capable ofperforming the functions described herein. For example, the processormay be embodied as a single or multi-core processor(s) having one ormore processor cores 104, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller,or other processor or processing/controlling circuit. Similarly, thememory 106 may be embodied as any type of volatile or non-volatilememory or data storage currently known or developed in the future andcapable of performing the functions described herein. In operation, thememory 106 may store various data and software used during operation ofthe mobile computing device 100 such as operating systems, applications,programs, libraries, and drivers. The memory 106 is communicativelycoupled to the processor 102 via the I/O subsystem 108, which may beembodied as circuitry and/or components to facilitate input/outputoperations with the processor 102, the memory 106, and other componentsof the mobile computing device 100. For example, the I/O subsystem 108may be embodied as, or otherwise include, memory controller hubs,input/output control hubs, firmware devices, communication links (i.e.,point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, light guides, printedcircuit board traces, etc.) and/or other components and subsystems tofacilitate the input/output operations. In some embodiments, the I/Osubsystem 108 may form a portion of a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and beincorporated, along with the processor 102, the memory 106, and othercomponents of the mobile computing device 100, on a single integratedcircuit chip.

The display 110 of the mobile computing device 100 may be embodied asany type of display on which information may be displayed to a user ofthe mobile computing device 100. For example, the display 110 may beembodied as, or otherwise use, any suitable display technologyincluding, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emittingdiode (LED) display, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a plasma display,and/or other display usable in a mobile computing device. Additionally,in some embodiments, the display 110 may be embodied as a touchscreendisplay and include an associated touchscreen sensor (not shown) toreceive tactile input and data entry from the user.

The mobile computing device 100 may also include a data storage 112. Thedata storage 112 may be embodied as any type of device or devicesconfigured for the short-term or long-term storage of data such as, forexample, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, hard disk drives,solid-state drives, or other data storage devices.

In some embodiments, the mobile computing device 100 may also include acommunication circuit 114. The communication circuit 114 may be embodiedas one or more devices and/or circuitry for enabling communications withone or more remote devices over a network. The communication circuit 114may be configured to use any suitable communication protocol tocommunicate with remote devices over such network including, forexample, cellular communication protocols, wireless data communicationprotocols, and/or wired data communication protocols.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the mobile computing device 100 mayfurther include one or more peripheral devices 116. Such peripheraldevices 116 may include any type of peripheral device commonly found ina mobile computing device such as speakers, a hardware keyboard,input/output devices, peripheral communication devices, antennas, and/orother peripheral devices.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in the illustrative embodiment, the mobilecomputing device 100 establishes an environment 200 during operation.The environment 200 includes an information aggregation module 202, anaction aggregation module 204, and a user interface module 206, each ofwhich may be embodied as software, firmware, hardware, or a combinationthereof. Of course, in other embodiments, the environment 200 mayinclude additional or other modules.

During use, the information aggregation module 202 interfaces with theapplications and/or notifications 210 associated with user interfacetiles displayed on the user interface of the mobile computing device 100to determine any supplemental information that may be of use to theuser. The information aggregation module 202 may utilize any suitablemethodology to determine the associated supplemental informationincluding, for example, interrogation of the applications and/ornotifications 210, interception of alerts or messages generated by theapplications and/or notifications 210, or other supplemental informationdiscovery mechanism. Additionally or alternatively, each of theapplications and/or notifications 210 may be configured (e.g., via anapplication program interface) to submit the supplemental informationdirectly to the information aggregation module 202. The supplementalinformation may be embodied as any type of information related the userinterface tile and/or the application/notification associated with theuser interface tile. For example, the supplemental information mayinclude a sub-set of information related to the activity that promptedthe alert on the user interface tile (e.g., identification data relatedto a newly received e-mail or phone call). The determined supplementalinformation is provided to the user interface module 206 continuallyand/or in response to the user selecting the associated user interfacetile as discussed in more detail below.

The action aggregation module 204 interfaces with the applicationsand/or notifications 210 associated with user interface tiles displayedon the user interface of the mobile computing device 100 to determineany related user actions that may be performed by the user. Similar tothe information aggregation module 202, the action aggregation module204 may utilize any of the methodologies discussed above to determinethe available user interactions. Such user interactions may include anytype of interaction with the user interface tile and/or the associatedapplication/notification that is available to the user. For example, inregard to an e-mail user interaction tile, the user interactions mayinclude “read mail,” “respond,” “delete,” or other action that istypically available to the user when the associated e-mail applicationis fully opened. The determined user interactions are provided to theuser interface module 206 continually and/or in response to the userselecting the associated user interface tile as discussed in more detailbelow.

The user interface module 206 illustratively includes a display module220, an interaction module 222, and a selection gesture library 224. Theuser interface module 206 monitors the user's interaction with the userinterface for selection of a user interface tile (e.g., an applicationicon). If the user selects a user interface tile, the user interfacemodule 206 compares the selection gesture used by the user to select theuser interface tile to the selection gesture library 224. If a match isfound between the selection gesture and one of the pre-defined gesturesstored in the selection gesture library 224, the display module 220displays a supplemental tile on the user interface of the mobilecomputing device 100. Depending on the selection gesture used by theuser to select the user interface tile, the display module 220 maydisplay supplemental information and/or interaction widgets (e.g., userinterface widgets such as buttons, controls, checkboxes, radio boxes,spinners, sliders, and/or other user interface widgets or elements) onthe supplemental information tile. For example, in some embodiments, theselection gesture may be embodied as an information gesture to requestsupplemental information or an action gesture to request display of theavailable interaction widgets. Of course, any single supplementalinterface tile may include both supplemental information and interactionwidgets. Additionally, different supplemental information and/orinteraction widgets may be displayed based on the user selecting theuser interface tile using different selection gestures (e.g., a tapgesture may display a supplemental interface tile with supplementalinformation and a pull gesture may display a different supplementalinterface tile with different supplemental information). Further, theuser interface module 206 may determine the shape, size, type, and/orlocation of the supplemental interface tile based on the selectiongesture used by the user (e.g. the location on the user interface atwhich the supplemental interface tile is displayed may be a function ofthe selection gesture used to select the associated user interfacetile). If the displayed supplemental interface tile includes one or moreinteraction widget, the interaction module 222 is configured to performone or more actions associated with the interaction widget in responseto the user selecting the displayed interaction widget. For example, ifthe user selects a “delete e-mail” interaction widget, the interactionmodule 222 may interface with the associated e-mail application to causedeletion of the e-mail.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in use, the mobile computing device 100 mayexecute a method 300 for displaying supplemental interface tiles on auser interface of the display 110 of the mobile computing device 100.The method 300 begins with bock 302 in which the mobile computing device100 displays one or more user interface tiles on the user interface ofthe mobile computing device 100. Each of the user interface tiles may beassociated with an application loaded on, or a notification stored on,the mobile computing device 100. As such, the mobile computing device100 may display user interface application tiles (i.e., user interfacetiles associated with applications loaded on the mobile computing device100) in block 304 and/or display user interface notification tiles(i.e., user interface tiles associated with notifications generated bythe mobile computing device 100) in block 306. As discussed above, eachuser interface tile may be embodied as any type of icon, widget, orother user interface element that is selectable by a user to interactwith the associated application (e.g., e-mail application, socialnetworking application, browser application, communication application,etc.) and/or notification (e.g., operating system notification, usercommunication notification, etc.). Additionally, each user interfacetile may have any type of suitable geometric shape.

After the user interface tiles have been displayed on the user interfaceof the mobile computing device 100, the method 300 advances to blocks308 and 310. In blocks 308 and 310, the mobile computing device 100determines supplemental information and available user interactions,respectively, associated with each user interface tile. For example, inblock 308, the information aggregation module 202 may interface witheach user interface tile to determine any supplemental information thatmay be of use to the user of the mobile computing device. Similarly, inblock 310, the action aggregation module 204 may interface with eachuser interface tile to determine the available user interactions thatmay be performed by the user. As discussed above, such interactionbetween the modules 202, 204 and the user interface tiles may includeinterrogation of the applications/notifications, interception ofcommunications from the applications/notifications, communicationsreceived directly from the applications/notification, and/or othersuitable discovery mechanisms. Although the blocks 308, 310 are shown inFIG. 3 as occurring in a particular location of the process flow ofmethod 300, it should be appreciated that the blocks 308, 310 may beexecuted continually during execution of the method 300 such thatadditional supplemental information and user interactions arecontinually discovered and aggregated for existing and/or new userinterface tiles.

In block 312, the mobile computing device 100 determines whether anyapplication or notification alerts have been generated and, if so,displays an alert icon on the user interface tile associated with theapplication/notification that generated the alert. Such alerts may begenerated in response to any event associated with the underlyingapplication/notification. For example, if a new e-mail or text messageis received, an alert icon (e.g., the number of unread e-mails ormessages) may be displayed on top of the user interface tile associatedwith the e-mail or test message application. The alert may be embodiedas any type of visual, audible, or tactile alert capable of notifyingthe user that an alert event has occurred. For example, in someembodiments, a vibration alert may be used to signal receipt of a newe-mail instead of, or in addition to, a visual alert. In someembodiments, the generating of an alert on one of the user interfacetiles prompts the execution of blocks 308 and 310 (which may becontinually executed in the background). That is, the informationaggregation module 202 and the action aggregation module 204 mayinterface with the application/notification associated with the userinterface tile that has been updated with the alert to determine any newsupplemental information and/or user interactions. That is, suchinterfacing may be in response to the generation of the alert and, insome embodiments, the application/notification that generated the alertmay be configured to supply the new supplemental information and/or userinteractions to the information aggregation module 202 and/or actionaggregation module 204 as discussed above.

In block 312, the method 300 advances to block 314 in which the mobilecomputing device 100 determines whether the user has selected one of theuser interface tiles. If not, the method 300 loops back to block 312 inwhich the mobile computing device 100 continues to monitor for thegeneration of an alert event and/or selection of a user interface tilein block 314. However, if the user has selected a user interface tile,the method 300 advances to blocks 316 and 318.

In block 316, the mobile computing device 100 determines whether theselection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tile wasa supplemental information gesture (e.g., a pre-defined gesture used torequest additional supplemental information). To do so, the userinterface module 206 compares the selection gesture used by the user toone or more pre-defined supplemental information gestures stored in theselection gesture library 224. In this way, the user interface module206 determines whether the selection gesture matches one of thepre-defined supplemental information gestures. Each pre-definedsupplemental information gesture may be embodied as any type of gestureusable to select a user interface tile. For example, in embodiments inwhich the display 110 is embodied as a touchscreen display, thepre-defined supplemental information gestures may include, but are notlimited to, a tap gesture, a double tap gesture, a long tap gesture, apull gesture, a slide gesture, a circle gesture, a motion gesture, orother gesture. Additionally, each pre-defined supplemental informationgesture may be applicable to multiple user interface tiles to displaysimilar or different supplemental information associated with each userinterface tile (and/or the application/notification associated with theuser interface tile).

If the user interface module 206 determines that the selection gesturedoes not match any of the pre-defined supplemental information gestures,the method 300 loops back to block 312 in which the mobile computingdevice 100 displays any newly generated alerts. However, if a match isfound between the selection gesture and one of the pre-definedsupplemental information gestures stored in the selection gesturelibrary 224, the method 300 advances to block 320. In block 320 thedisplay module 220 of the user interface module 206 displays asupplemental interface tile on the user interface of the mobilecomputing device 100. As discussed above, the location, size, type,shape, and/or other visual characteristic of the supplemental interfacetile may be based on the selected interface tile and/or the selectiongesture used to select the interface tile.

The display module 220 also displays any associated supplementalinformation on the supplemental tile in block 320. To do so, the userinterface module 206 determines the supplemental information to bedisplayed based on the selection gesture used to select the userinterface tile (i.e., based on the matched pre-defined supplementalinformation gesture) in block 322 and displays the determinedsupplemental information on the supplemental tile in block 324 (i.e.,the supplemental information determined in block 308). In this way, theuser may review different supplemental information by utilizing adifferent selection gesture to select the associated user interfacetile. For example, the user may select a user interface tile associatedwith an e-mail application using a “long tap” selection gesture todisplay the most recent e-mail sender and may select the same userinterface tile using a “pull” selection gesture to display the last sente-mail or other information.

In some embodiments, one or more user interactions associated with thesupplemental information may be available to the user. In suchembodiments, one or more interaction widgets may be also be displayed,in block 326, on the supplemental interface tile in association with thesupplemental information. The interaction widgets may be embodied as anytype of user interface widget including, but not limited to, a button,control, check box, data field, or other interface interaction icon orelement. If an interaction widget is associated with the supplementalinformation and displayed on the supplemental interface tile in block326, the method 300 advances to block 334 in which the interactionmodule 222 determines whether the user has selected one of the displayedinteraction widgets. If not, the method 300 loops back to block 334 tocontinue to monitor for user interaction (including the closing of thesupplemental interface tile). However, if the user has selected one ofthe displayed interaction widgets, the method 300 advances to block 336in which the interaction module 222 performs one or more actionsassociated with the selected interaction widget. Such actions may beembodied as any action performable by the application/notificationassociated with the selected user interface tile. The interaction module222 may perform the action directly or may interface with the associatedapplication/notification to request that the selected action beperformed. In this way, the user may perform functions or actions of theassociated application/notification without opening the associatedapplication/notification or otherwise switching the user's currentcontext.

If no interaction widgets are displayed on the supplemental interfacetile in block 326 or after the associated action of a selectedinteraction widget is performed in block 336, the method 300 loops backto block 302 in which the mobile computing device 100 continues todisplay user interface tiles on the user interface. Additionally, themobile computing device 100 continues to aggregate availablesupplemental information and user interactions for each displayed userinterface tile in blocks 308, 310 as discussed above.

Referring back to block 318, if the mobile computing device 100determines that the user has selected a user interface tile in block314, the mobile computing device 100 also determines whether theselection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tile wasan action gesture (e.g., a pre-defined gesture used to request thedisplay of available user interactions or controls). To do so, the userinterface module 206 compares the selection gesture used by the user toone or more pre-defined action gestures stored in the selection gesturelibrary 224. In this way, the user interface module 206 determineswhether the selection gesture matches one of the pre-defined actiongestures. As with the pre-defined supplemental information gesturesdescribed above, the pre-defined action gesture may be embodied as anytype of gesture usable to select a user interface tile including, butnot limited to a tap gesture, a double tap gesture, a long tap gesture,a pull gesture, a slide gesture, a circle gesture, a motion gesture, orother gesture. Additionally, each pre-defined action gesture may beapplicable to multiple user interface tiles to display similar ordifferent available actions associated with each user interface tile(and/or the application/notification associated with the user interfacetile).

If the user interface module 206 determines that the selection gesturedoes not match any of the pre-defined action gestures, the method 300loops back to block 312 in which the mobile computing device 100displays any newly generated alerts. However, if a match is foundbetween the selection gesture and one of the pre-defined action gesturesstored in the selection gesture library 224, the method 300 advances toblock 328. In block 328 the display module 220 of the user interfacemodule 206 displays a supplemental interface tile on the user interfaceof the mobile computing device 100. As discussed above, the location,size, type, shape, and/or other visual characteristic of thesupplemental interface tile may be based on the selected interface tileand/or the selection gesture used to select the interface tile.

The display module 220 also displays an interaction widget on thesupplemental interface tile for each user interaction available to theuser in block 330. As discussed above, each interaction widget may beembodied as any type of user interface widget including, but not limitedto, a button, control, check box, data field, or other interfaceinteraction icon or element. Additionally, in some embodiments,supplemental information associated with the available user interactionsand/or the selected user interface tile may be displayed on thesupplemental interface tile in block 332. To do so, the user interfacemodule 206 may execute the blocks 322 and 324, discussed above, todetermine and display the supplemental information. As such, it shouldbe appreciated that a single selection gesture may be embodied as asupplemental information gesture, an action gesture, or a combination ofa supplemental information gesture and an action gesture (i.e., bothsupplemental information and interaction widgets may be displayed on thesupplemental interface tile).

After the supplemental interface tile and any associated interactionwidgets have been displayed in block 328, the method advances to block334. In block 334, the interaction module 222 determines whether theuser has selected one of the displayed interaction widgets. If not, themethod 300 loops back to block 334 to continue to monitor for userinteraction (including the closing of the supplemental interface tile).However, if the user has selected one of the displayed interactionwidgets, the method 300 advances to block 336 in which the interactionmodule 222 performs one or more actions associated with the selectedinteraction widget. As discussed above, such actions may be embodied asany action performable by the application/notification associated withthe selected user interface tile. The interaction module 222 may performthe action directly or may interface with the associatedapplication/notification to request that the selected action beperformed. After the selected action has been performed, the method 300loops back to block 302 in which the mobile computing device 100continues to display user interface tiles on the user interface.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, an illustrative user interface 400 is showndisplayed on the display 110 of the mobile computing device 100. Asshown in FIG. 4, the user interface 400 is embodied as a notificationinterface and includes multiple user interface tiles 402 embodied asnotification user interface tiles. Each notification user interface tile402 may have a different shape, color, size, position, or other visualcharacteristic different from other notification user interface tiles402. Each notification user interface tile 402 provides a notificationof an alert event associated with a related application. For example,notification user interface tile 404 provides notification that a callfrom “Dad” has been received. The user may select the notification userinterface tile 404 to open the associated communication application toreview the call details and return the call as with a typical userinterface.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the user may select the notificationuser interface tile 404 using a supplemental information selectiongesture 406 to cause the display of a supplemental interface tile 500 tobe displayed on the user interface 400. In the illustrative embodimentof FIG. 5, the selection gesture matches a pre-defined supplementalinformation gesture 406, which causes supplemental information 502 to bedisplayed on the supplemental interface tile 500. In illustrativesupplemental information 502 notifies the user of the relative time atwhich the call was received.

Additionally or alternatively, the user may select the notification userinterface tile 404 using an action gesture 600 to cause the display of asupplemental interface tile 602 to be displayed on the user interface400 as shown in FIG. 6. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 6, theselection gesture matches a pre-defined action gesture 600, which causesseveral interaction widgets 604, 606, 608, illustratively embodied asbuttons, to be displayed on the supplemental interface tile 602.Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, supplemental information610 is also displayed on the supplemental interface tile 602 thatidentifies the telephone number of the received call and the time atwhich the call was received. The user may select any one of theinteraction widgets 604, 606, 608 to cause the associated action to beperformed by the mobile computing device 100. For example, the user mayselect the interaction widget 604 to call back the telephone number ofthe received call, select the interaction widget 606 to send a textmessage to the telephone number, or select the interaction widget 610 todismiss the associated notification (i.e., delete the user interfacetile 402 from the user interface 400).

It should be appreciated, of course, that other selection gestures maybe used by the user to select the user interface tile 402 to cause othersupplemental interface tiles to be displayed on the user interface. Forexample, additional or other supplemental information and/or interactionwidgets may be displayed or accessible by utilizing other selectiongestures. Additionally, as discussed above, the type, size, shape,location, color, and other visual characteristics of the displayedsupplemental interface tile may vary based on the selection gesture usedto select the associated user interface tile, the selected userinterface tile (e.g., the location of the selected interface tile),and/or the application/notification associated with the selected userinterface tile. Further, as discussed above, each supplemental interfacetile may be embodied as a supplemental information interface tile, auser interaction supplemental interface tile, or a combination thereof.For example, in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 6, the supplementalinterface tile 602 illustrates an embodiment of a combined supplementalinformation and user interaction supplemental interface tile.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, an illustrative user interface 700 isshown displayed on the display 110 of the mobile computing device 100.As shown in FIG. 7, the user interface 700 is embodied as an applicationinterface and includes multiple user interface tiles 702 embodied asapplication user interface tiles. Each application user interface tile702 may have a different shape, color, size, position, or other visualcharacteristic different from other application user interface tiles702. Each application user interface tile 702 provides a “quick launch”for the associated application. For example, the user may select ane-mail application user interface tile 704 to open an associated e-mailapplication, typically in full screen mode.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, the user may select the e-mailapplication user interface tile 704 using a pre-defined selectiongesture to cause the display of a supplemental interface tile 800 to bedisplayed on the user interface 700. In the illustrative embodiment ofFIG. 8, the supplemental interface tile 800 notifies the user that twounread e-mails have been received and identifies the sender of thosee-mails. Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, anothersupplemental interface tile 802 is displayed that identifies thosefriends of the user that are currently online. A further supplementalinterface tile 804 is also displayed which includes several “Settings”widgets that the user may select to change the mode of wirelesscommunication of the mobile computing device 100. In some embodiments,each of the supplemental interface tiles 800, 802, 804 may be displayedin response to a separate selection gesture (e.g., a pre-definedinformation gesture or a pre-defined action gesture). Alternatively, twoor more of the supplemental interface tiles 800, 802, 804 may bedisplayed contemporaneously in response to a single selection gesture.

It should be appreciated that the disclosed technologies allow the userof the mobile computing device 100 to obtain supplemental informationand perform actions associated with the selected user interface tileand/or the application/notification associated therewith. As such, theuser may quickly review the related information and interact with theassociated application/notification without the requirement of fullyopening or otherwise engaging the associated application/notification.

EXAMPLES

Illustrative examples of the devices, systems, and methods disclosedherein are provided below. An embodiment of the devices, systems, andmethods may include any one or more, and any combination of, theexamples described below.

Example 1 includes a mobile computing device for displaying supplementalinterface tiles on a user interface of the mobile computing device. Themobile computing device includes an aggregation module to determine atleast one of (i) supplemental information associated with a userinterface tile displayed on the user interface and (ii) available userinteractions associated with the user interface tile; and a userinterface module to (i) display a supplemental interface tile inassociation with the user interface tile in response to a user of thecomputing device selecting the user interface tile, (ii) determine aselection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tile,and (ii) display at least one of the supplemental information on thesupplemental interface tile in response to the selection gesturematching a pre-defined information gesture and, at least one interactionwidget on the supplemental interface tile in response to the selectiongesture matching a pre-defined action gesture.

Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, and wherein theaggregation module comprises an information aggregation module todetermine supplemental information to be displayed on the supplementalinterface tile as a function of the selection gesture.

Example 3 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1 and 2, andwherein the aggregation module comprises an action aggregation module todetermine available user interactions to be displayed on thesupplemental interface tile as a function of the selection gesture.

Example 4 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-3, andwherein the user interface module comprises a user interface module todisplay the supplemental interface tile in a position on the userinterface as a function of the selected interface tile and the selectiongesture.

Example 5 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-4, andwherein the user interface module is to display a first supplementalinterface tile in a first location on the user interface in response tothe selection gesture matching a first pre-defined information gesture;and display a second supplemental interface tile in a second location onthe user interface different from the first location in response to theselection gesture matching a second pre-defined information gesture.

Example 6 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-5, andwherein the user interface module is to display first supplementalinformation on the first supplemental interface tile in response to theselection gesture matching the first pre-defined information gesture;and display second supplemental information different from the firstsupplemental information on the second supplemental interface tile inresponse to the selection gesture matching the second pre-definedinformation gesture.

Example 7 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-6, andwherein the user interface module is to display a first interactionwidget on the first supplemental interface tile in response to theselection gesture matching the first pre-defined information gesture;and display a second interaction widget different from the firstinteraction widget on the second supplemental interface tile in responseto the selection gesture matching the second pre-defined informationgesture.

Example 8 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-7, andwherein the user interface module is to display a first supplementalinterface tile in a first location on the user interface in response tothe selection gesture matching a first pre-defined action gesture; anddisplay a second supplemental interface tile in a second location on theuser interface different from the first location in response to theselection gesture matching a second pre-defined action gesture.

Example 9 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-8, andwherein the user interface module is to displaying a first interactionwidget on the first supplemental interface tile in response to theselection gesture matching the first pre-defined action gesture; anddisplaying a second interaction widget different from the firstinteraction widget on the second supplemental interface tile in responseto the selection gesture matching the second pre-defined action gesture.

Example 10 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-9, andwherein the user interface module is to display first supplementalinformation on the first supplemental interface tile in response to theselection gesture matching the first pre-defined action gesture; anddisplay second supplemental information different from the firstsupplemental information on the second supplemental interface tile inresponse to the selection gesture matching the second pre-defined actiongesture.

Example 11 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-10, andwherein the user interface module is to display a first supplementalinterface tile in a first location on the user interface in response tothe selection gesture matching a pre-defined information gesture; anddisplay a second supplemental interface tile, different from the firstsupplemental interface tile, in a second location on the user interfacedifferent from the first location in response to the selection gesturematching a pre-defined action gesture.

Example 12 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-11, andwherein the user interface tile comprises a notification tile.

Example 13 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-12, andwherein the user interface tile comprises an application tile.

Example 14 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-13, andwherein the at least one interaction widget comprises a user interfacewidget selectable by the user to cause the computing device to performan associated action.

Example 15 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-14, andwherein the user interface widget comprises at least one of: an actionbutton, a checkbox, a radio box, a spinner, and a slider.

Example 16 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-15, andwherein the user interface module is further to cause performance of theassociated action on the computing device in response to the user'sselection of the user interface widget.

Example 17 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-16, andwherein the user interface module is further to determine at least oneof a tile type, a tile size, a tile shape, and a tile location of thesupplemental interface tile.

Example 18 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-17, andwherein the user interface module is further to display an alert on theuser interface tile in response to determination that supplementalinformation or user interactions associated with the user interface tileare available.

Example 19 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-18, andwherein the alert identifies the number of supplemental information oruser interactions that are available.

Example 20 includes a method for displaying supplemental interface tileson a user interface of a computing device. The method includesdetermining at least one of (i) supplemental information associated witha user interface tile displayed on the user interface and (ii) availableuser interactions associated with the user interface tile; displaying asupplemental interface tile in association with the user interface tilein response to a user of the computing device selecting the userinterface tile; determining a selection gesture used by the user toselect the user interface tile; and displaying (i) the supplementalinformation on the supplemental interface tile in response to theselection gesture matching a pre-defined information gesture and (ii) atleast one interaction widget on the supplemental interface tile inresponse to the selection gesture matching a pre-defined action gesture.

Example 21 includes the subject matter of Example 20, and whereindetermining supplemental information comprises determining supplementalinformation to be displayed on the supplemental interface tile as afunction of the selection gesture.

Example 22 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20 and 21, andwherein displaying the supplemental interface tile comprises displayingthe supplemental interface tile in a position on the user interface as afunction of the selected interface tile and the selection gesture.

Example 23 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-22, andwherein displaying a supplemental interface tile comprises displaying afirst supplemental interface tile in a first location on the userinterface in response to the selection gesture matching a firstpre-defined information gesture; and displaying a second supplementalinterface tile in a second location on the user interface different fromthe first location in response to the selection gesture matching asecond pre-defined information gesture.

Example 24 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-23, andwherein displaying the supplemental information comprises displayingfirst supplemental information on the first supplemental interface tilein response to the selection gesture matching the first pre-definedinformation gesture; and displaying second supplemental informationdifferent from the first supplemental information on the secondsupplemental interface tile in response to the selection gesturematching the second pre-defined information gesture.

Example 25 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-24, andfurther including displaying a first interaction widget on the firstsupplemental interface tile in response to the selection gesturematching the first pre-defined information gesture; and displaying asecond interaction widget different from the first interaction widget onthe second supplemental interface tile in response to the selectiongesture matching the second pre-defined information gesture.

Example 26 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-25, andwherein displaying a supplemental interface tile comprises displaying afirst supplemental interface tile in a first location on the userinterface in response to the selection gesture matching a firstpre-defined action gesture; and displaying a second supplementalinterface tile in a second location on the user interface different fromthe first location in response to the selection gesture matching asecond pre-defined action gesture.

Example 27 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-26, andwherein displaying the at least one interaction widget comprisesdisplaying a first interaction widget on the first supplementalinterface tile in response to the selection gesture matching the firstpre-defined action gesture; and displaying a second interaction widgetdifferent from the first interaction widget on the second supplementalinterface tile in response to the selection gesture matching the secondpre-defined action gesture.

Example 28 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-27, andfurther including displaying first supplemental information on the firstsupplemental interface tile in response to the selection gesturematching the first pre-defined action gesture; and displaying secondsupplemental information different from the first supplementalinformation on the second supplemental interface tile in response to theselection gesture matching the second pre-defined action gesture.

Example 29 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-28, andwherein displaying a supplemental interface tile comprises displaying afirst supplemental interface tile in a first location on the userinterface in response to the selection gesture matching a pre-definedinformation gesture; and displaying a second supplemental interfacetile, different from the first supplemental interface tile, in a secondlocation on the user interface different from the first location inresponse to the selection gesture matching a pre-defined action gesture.

Example 30 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-29, andwherein determining at least one of supplemental information andavailable user interactions comprises determining at least one of (i)supplemental information associated with a notification tile displayedon the user interface and (ii) available user interactions associatedwith the notification tile.

Example 31 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-30, andwherein determining at least one of supplemental information andavailable user interactions comprises determining at least one of (i)supplemental information associated with an application tile displayedon the user interface and (ii) available user interactions associatedwith the application tile.

Example 32 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-31, andwherein displaying at least one interaction widget on the supplementalinterface tile comprises displaying a user interface widget on thesupplemental interface tile that is selectable by the user to cause thecomputing device to perform an associated action.

Example 33 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-32, andfurther including performing the associated action on the computingdevice in response to the user's selection of the user interface widget.

Example 34 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-33, andwherein displaying the supplemental interface tile comprises determiningat least one of a tile type, a tile size, a tile shape, and a tilelocation as a function of the selection gesture.

Example 35 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-34, andfurther including displaying an alert on the user interface tile inresponse to determining that supplemental information or userinteractions associated with the user interface tile are available.

Example 36 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-35, andwherein the alert identifies the number of supplemental information oruser interactions that are available.

Example 37 includes a computing device comprising a processor; and amemory having stored therein a plurality of instructions that whenexecuted by the processor cause the computing device to perform themethod of any of Examples 20-36.

Example 38 includes one or more machine readable storage mediacomprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that in responseto being executed result in a computing device performing the method ofany of Examples 20-36.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A mobile computing device for displayingsupplemental interface tiles on a user interface of the mobile computingdevice, the mobile computing device comprising: a processor; anaggregation module to determine (i) supplemental information associatedwith a user interface tile displayed on the user interface and (ii)available user interactions associated with the user interface tile; anda user interface module to (i) display, on the user interface, asupplemental interface tile contemporaneously with the user interfacetile in response to a user of the computing device selecting the userinterface tile, (ii) determine a first selection gesture used by theuser to select the user interface tile, (iii) determine a secondselection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tiledifferent from the first selection gesture, (iv) display thesupplemental information on the supplemental interface tile in a firstlocation on the user interface in response to the first selectiongesture matching a pre-defined information gesture such that thesupplemental information is visible contemporaneously with the userinterface tile, and (v) display at least one interaction widget on thesupplemental interface tile in a second location on the user interfacedifferent from the first location in response to the second selectiongesture matching a pre-defined action gesture different from thepre-defined information gesture such that the interaction widget isvisible contemporaneously with the user interface tile; wherein todisplay the supplemental information on the supplemental interface inthe first location on the user interface such that the supplementalinformation is visible contemporaneously with the user interface tilecomprises to move the user interface tile from a beginning position onthe user interface to an end position on the user interface and displaythe supplemental information on the user interface at the beginningposition on the user interface.
 2. The mobile computing device of claim1, wherein the user interface module comprises a user interface moduleto display the supplemental interface tile in a position on the userinterface as a function of the selected interface tile and at least oneof the first selection gesture and the second selection gesture.
 3. Themobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface module isto: display a first supplemental interface tile in a third location onthe user interface in response to the first selection gesture matching afirst pre-defined information gesture different from the pre-definedaction gesture; and display a second supplemental interface tile in afourth location on the user interface different from the third locationin response to the first selection gesture matching a second pre-definedinformation gesture different from the first pre-defined informationgesture and different from the pre-defined action gesture.
 4. The mobilecomputing device of claim 3, wherein the user interface module is to:display first supplemental information on the first supplementalinterface tile in response to the first selection gesture matching thefirst pre-defined information gesture; and display second supplementalinformation different from the first supplemental information on thesecond supplemental interface tile in response to the first selectiongesture matching the second pre-defined information gesture.
 5. Themobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the user interface module isto: display a first interaction widget on the first supplementalinterface tile in response to the first selection gesture matching thefirst pre-defined information gesture; and display a second interactionwidget different from the first interaction widget on the secondsupplemental interface tile in response to the first selection gesturematching the second pre-defined information gesture.
 6. The mobilecomputing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is to:determine a third location for a first supplemental interface tile basedon the second selection gesture matching a first pre-defined actiongesture different from the pre-defined information gesture; determine afourth location for a second supplemental interface tile different fromthe third location based on the second selection gesture matching asecond pre-defined action gesture different from the first pre-definedaction gesture and different from the pre-defined information gesture;display the first supplemental interface tile in the third location onthe user interface; and display the second supplemental interface tilein the fourth location on the user interface.
 7. The mobile computingdevice of claim 6, wherein the user interface module is to: displaying afirst interaction widget on the first supplemental interface tile inresponse to the second selection gesture matching the first pre-definedaction gesture; and displaying a second interaction widget differentfrom the first interaction widget on the second supplemental interfacetile in response to the second selection gesture matching the secondpre-defined action gesture.
 8. The mobile computing device of claim 6,wherein the user interface module is to: display first supplementalinformation on the first supplemental interface tile in response to thesecond selection gesture matching the first pre-defined action gesture;and display second supplemental information different from the firstsupplemental information on the second supplemental interface tile inresponse to the second selection gesture matching the second pre-definedaction gesture.
 9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein theuser interface tile comprises a notification tile.
 10. The mobilecomputing device of claim 1 wherein the at least one interaction widgetcomprises a user interface widget selectable by the user to cause thecomputing device to perform an associated action.
 11. The mobilecomputing device of claim 1, wherein the first location is adjacent tothe user interface tile and the second location different from the firstis adjacent to the user interface tile.
 12. A method for displayingsupplemental interface tiles on a user interface of a computing device,the method comprising: determining (i) supplemental informationassociated with a user interface tile displayed on the user interfaceand (ii) available user interactions associated with the user interfacetile; displaying a supplemental interface tile contemporaneously withthe user interface tile in response to a user of the computing deviceselecting the user interface tile; determining a first selection gestureused by the user to select the user interface tile; determining a secondselection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tiledifferent from the first selection gesture; and displaying (i) thesupplemental information on the supplemental interface tile in a firstlocation on the user interface in response to the first selectiongesture matching a pre-defined information gesture such that thesupplemental information is visible contemporaneously with the userinterface tile and (ii) at least one interaction widget on thesupplemental interface tile in a second location on the user interfacedifferent from the first location in response to the second selectiongesture matching a pre-defined action gesture different from thepre-defined information gesture such that the interaction widget isvisible contemporaneously with the user interface tile; whereindisplaying the supplemental information on the supplemental interface inthe first location on the user interface such that the supplementalinformation is visible contemporaneously with the user interface tilecomprises moving the user interface tile from a beginning position onthe user interface to an end position on the user interface anddisplaying the supplemental information on the user interface at thebeginning position on the user interface.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein displaying a supplemental interface tile comprises: determininga third location for a first supplemental interface tile based on thesecond selection gesture matching a first pre-defined action gesturedifferent from the pre-defined information gesture; determining a fourthlocation for a second supplemental interface tile different from thefirst location based on the second selection gesture matching a secondpre-defined action gesture different from the first pre-defined actiongesture and different from the pre-defined information gesture;displaying the first supplemental interface tile in the third locationon the user interface; and displaying the second supplemental interfacetile in the fourth location on the user interface.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, wherein displaying at least one interaction widget on thesupplemental interface tile comprises displaying a user interface widgeton the supplemental interface tile that is selectable by the user tocause the computing device to perform an associated action, and furthercomprising performing the associated action on the computing device inresponse to the user's selection of the user interface widget.
 15. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the first location is adjacent to the userinterface tile and the second location different from the first isadjacent to the user interface tile.
 16. One or more non-transitory,machine readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructionsstored thereon that in response to being executed result in a mobilecomputing device: determining (i) supplemental information associatedwith a user interface tile displayed on the user interface and (ii)available user interactions associated with the user interface tile;displaying a supplemental interface tile contemporaneously with the userinterface tile in response to a user of the computing device selectingthe user interface tile; determining a first selection gesture used bythe user to select the user interface tile; determining a secondselection gesture used by the user to select the user interface tiledifferent from the first selection gesture; and displaying (i) thesupplemental information on the supplemental interface tile in a firstlocation on the user interface in response to the first selectiongesture matching a pre-defined information gesture such that thesupplemental information is visible contemporaneously with the userinterface tile and (ii) at least one interaction widget on thesupplemental interface tile in a second location on the user interfacedifferent from the first location in response to the second selectiongesture matching a pre-defined action gesture different from thepre-defined information gesture such that the interaction widget isvisible contemporaneously with the user interface tile; whereindisplaying the supplemental information on the supplemental interface inthe first location on the user interface such that the supplementalinformation is visible contemporaneously with the user interface tilecomprises moving the user interface tile from a beginning position onthe user interface to an end position on the user interface anddisplaying the supplemental information on the user interface at thebeginning position on the user interface.
 17. The non-transitory,machine readable storage media of claim 16, wherein displaying asupplemental interface tile comprises: determining a third location fora first supplemental interface tile based on the second selectiongesture matching a first pre-defined action gesture different from thepre-defined information gesture; determining a fourth location for asecond supplemental interface tile different from the third locationbased on the second selection gesture matching a second pre-definedaction gesture different from the first pre-defined action gesture anddifferent from the pre-defined information gesture; displaying the firstsupplemental interface tile in the third location on the user interface;and displaying the second supplemental interface tile in the fourthlocation on the user interface.
 18. The non-transitory, machine readablestorage media of claim 16, wherein displaying at least one interactionwidget on the supplemental interface tile comprises displaying a userinterface widget on the supplemental interface tile that is selectableby the user to cause the computing device to perform an associatedaction, and wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to beingexecuted, further result in the mobile computing device performing theassociated action on the computing device in response to the user'sselection of the user interface widget.
 19. The one or morenon-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 16, wherein thefirst location is adjacent to the user interface tile and the secondlocation different from the first is adjacent to the user interfacetile.